Go Back to Derry: Stephen King’s ‘It’ is Now Streaming
For better or worse, there’s no more enduring an icon from this generation of horror than Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Art the Clown might be up there, but Andy Muschietti’s It: Chapter 1 undoubtedly renewed interest in not only the works of Stephen King, but the horror genre in general. $704 million globally for an R-rated horror movie is no small feat. Both It: Chapter 1 and its sequel were phenomena, and there was no doubt the fine folks at Warner Bros. were going to want to milk that clown for all he’s worth.
The result is It – Welcome to Derry, an upcoming miniseries set to premiere on both HBO and streaming service Max this fall. The long-gestating series (Chapter 2 premiered in 2019, for what it’s worth) will see Bill Skarsgård return as Pennywise the Clown for a prequel series that explores the previous arrival and encounter with Pennywise. Which… sounds a lot like King’s source material and Tommy Lee Wallace’s original 1990 made-for-television adaptation. It’s the 1960s, and a bunch of googly-eyed kids are poised to face off against an interdimensional killer clown. I’ve seen that. And that’s streaming on Max already. That’s right, one of the best Stephen King adaptations is now streaming. Come join me and float.
Per Max: A group of small-town kids are hunted by the monstrous clown Pennywise in this acclaimed 1990 horror film based on Stephen King’s novel.
Prior to the release of Muschietti’s adaptation, Wallace’s Stephen King’s It was among the most-acclaimed King adaptations of all time. A great deal of its success can be credited to Tim Curry’s interpretation of Pennywise. Skarsgård is great, leaning into the cosmic terror of it all, but there’s something to be said for the stripped-down simplicity of Curry’s Pennywise. Just watch and compare the opening deaths of George Denbrough and you’ll get a sense of just how ferocious and understated Curry’s performance is.
When I revisited the miniseries for my piece on the best made-for-television horror movies, I wrote, “as a kid, Pennywise and his ghoulish shenanigans scared the hell out of me,” later adding, “the individual set-pieces work tremendously well (particularly Eddie Kaspbrak’s attack in the shower).” It’s real scary stuff, and you can now go back to Derry for the first time all over again on Max. How it compares to the forthcoming prequel series remains to be seen, but I’ll certainly be watching.
And, hey, if you missed it, you can check out the trailer for It – Welcome to Derry below.
What do you think? Are you excited for the new series? Any plans to check out Stephen King’s It on Max? If you do, let me know whether you’re keen to float too over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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